Water use in Calgary declines, city urges conservation ahead of heat wave

Crews are dealing with implications of Calgary’s daily water use after the city once again failed to meet the threshold target, according to officials.

Water use in Calgary went down Wednesday, but was still above the increased threshold deemed “sustainable” by the city.

Michael Thompson, the city’s infrastructure manager, says the strain on the water treatment system from working at capacity is causing issues for crews.

“In recent days we have experienced a pump failure and an issue with a component of our treatment system,” he said during a Thursday afternoon update. “We were able to quickly resolve these issues, but if they had gone longer, it could have easily put us in a situation where our reservoir capacities would have dropped significantly.”

Data released by the city shows 500 million litres of water was used on Wednesday, down from 506 million litres on Tuesday, and 505 million litres on Monday.

The level of consumption the city is aiming for is 485 million litres, increased from 450 million litres earlier this week when crews tested a new configuration that let 35 million more litres safely move through the system.

Typical daily water usage for this time of year is 600 million litres, according to the city.

Stage 4 water restrictions, which ban outdoor water use including watering lawns and gardens, along with a request to reduce personal water use by 25 per cent are a product of repair work being completed on the Bearspaw South Feeder Main.

Officials are urging Calgarians to be mindful of their water usage with another string of hot weather days in the forecast.

The city said late last week they were going to start issuing fines for people who aren’t following the outdoor water rules.

As of Thursday, 14 tickets, each with a $3,000 fine, have been issued. Since repair work began on August 26, the city says it has received over 1,000 complaints about water misuse.

Feeder main repairs on track to be finished before end of month

The city said Thursday, that concrete has been poured at five of the 12 repair sites and pre-construction activity has gotten underway at three new spots along 16 Avenue NW.

As a result, 16 Avenue NW is closed between 46 Street NW and 41 Street NW and traffic will be redirected to Bowness Road, which will stay fully open in both directions with direct access to 16 Avenue NW and businesses.

WATCH: Calgarians react to a new watermain road closure

“Those in the area will notice pre-construction activity, such as saw-cutting, fence setup, and crew mobilization for asphalt removal,” says Francois Bouchart, the city’s director of capital priorities and investment.

Construction is still on track to be done by the scheduled Sept. 23 date.